Strength to Look Up To
by DisneyMuse
Summary: Sylvia and Peepers may share a common frustration for the idiots they hold close to their hearts, but they also share a common admiration. Sylvia helps Peepers see that the power he admires in Hater isn't the only way to be strong.
The Trailblazer's Codex for the Cosmos has a quick "Top 50 things you should never do if you want to keep your primary head on your shoulders" section for the particularly adventurous thrill seekers.

Waking up a sleeping Zbornak easily breached the top 10.

However, Watchdogs also broke the codex's top 10 for "Most likely to go extinct within the century due to their own stupidity"

"Hey, clear out! I got to wash this place!" Yelled a particularly annoyed Watchdog with a broom outside the holding cell.

A groan came out of Sylvia's mouth as she attempted to get back to sleep "Can't you wait just 5 more minutes?" She grumbled trying to cover her eyes and ears with her tail.

However, the Watchdog did not take the easy out. He opened up the door wide and pushed his cart of cleaning supplies inside the cell "Do I look like I've got all night? Up and out of here!"

It was then that it occurred to Sylvia that this wasn't the average angry talking forest creature. Frankly, she couldn't even remember the last planet her and Wander set up camp on. Stretching out her neck, she took a look at her surroundings. She was fairly certain they hadn't fallen asleep in a dark dank prison cell. Ah, wait this was Hater's ship, wasn't it? Probably should do something about that. Stretching out her neck, Sylvia felt a slip of paper fall down her neck. The handwriting was a dead giveaway.

"Dear Syl,

Gone to help Hatey with the sleepover preparations!

See ya real soon!"

-Your best buddy,  
Wander

Sylvia shrugged at the note. Well, at least she knew she wouldn't have to peel her buddy off some kind of torture rack. Knowing how things usually went, Hater probably thought he could destroy them both in their sleep, but got caught up in the preparations while Wander used it as an excuse to party. The usual. Although while she was used to Watchdogs' lack of security, they didn't usually open the door wide for her. Guess they were sick and tired of having to call someone in to re-bend the bars back into place.

Sylvia started walking out of the cell, wondering how often they just released their prisoners like this "So is this what you guys call an abduction nowadays? Man are you guys slacking off." She joked.

The Watchdog janitor rolled his eye. "Ugh, fine." He looked into his cart and pulled out a slip of paper. "Sorry for the inconvenience in your kidnapping. Here's a 10% off coupon good for one meal any of the establishments at the floor 48 food court. Should be able to resume your scheduled imprisonment in 1-2 hours when you return." He recited wanting to get his shift over with already. "Or don't- I don't get paid nearly enough to work nights." He mumbled to himself as he went to work on sweeping the cell.

Sylvia raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and took the coupon. She wasn't going to be getting back to sleep any time soon. Maybe she could just rustle up a little bit of grub, and then check on how Wander's sleepover plans were going.

Sylvia and Wander had made quite a few runs through Hater's ship in the past. Enough that she probably knew her way around this place better than the skeleton conqueror with how often they got chased around. Although it always astounded her on how many thriving businesses there were down here. Enough that her and Wander were able to do their holiday shopping for the Watchdogs here last season. Sylvia glanced at the floor 48 directory, trying to figure out what she was hungry for.

"Binglian food? Eh, not up for something sweet… Cluxonese? Had that for lunch yesterday… What's 'The Lazy Eyeball'?" She read off the directory. Some kind of pub? Hadn't been there last time she was around. Eh, why not check it out. She had time to kill.

None of the Watchdogs batted an eye as Sylvia marched into the bar and set herself down. Probably shouldn't get anything too strong if she was going to be marching off again soon after this. Maybe some cheese fries. But as she looked through the appetizers, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice a few barstools down from her.

"Hit me again, Gene!" Commander Peepers yelled out as he slammed his empty mug on the table.

"Uh, sir? I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut you off." The barkeep instructed him.

Peeper's eye widened annoyed. "But I've only had one!" He exclaimed.

The barkeep shrugged. "Yeah, but you're on 'designated Hater duty'. Someone's got to report to the big guy when he remembers he's got an army to hunt the little orange guy down. Gotta at least look sober for that. And you're the only one that called 'not-it'."

"Called what? When?" Peepers asked confused scratching his head.

"NOT IT!" Declared every other Watchdog immediately in the bar, including Gene behind the bar.

Peepers slumped with his eyelid to the bar, frustrated. He was surrounded by idiots.

Sylvia chuckled at the sight of the cross commander. "It's alright barkeep. If Hater calls in for backup, I'll march right up there myself. Give the commander's cornea a Corona on me!" Sylvia called out. Just seeing Peepers put out like that put her in a good mood. The little guy was always good for a laugh.

The barkeep shrugged, not realizing that Sylvia would hardly be providing Hater any support. He took Peepers' mug and began refilling it. Sylvia expected some kind of protest out of the commander for the barkeep's incompetence, but all she got was an exasperated sigh. He swished the liquid around in the mug, just staring into the drink.

"Woah, guess you really did need another one of those." Sylvia remarked. "What's got you so glum?"

"Oh, the usual." Peepers' said not even looking up from his glass. "Me and Hater were supposed to make plans to conquer Gamma Quadrant Sector 4… But then he saw Wander napping outside his window and decided to make him rue the day he tried to sleep in a very distracting looking manner."

Peepers then finally turned to look up at Sylvia. "And I don't suppose you had any trouble escaping the highly guarded prison block?" He questioned. Although he supposed he knew the answer.

"Not a bit! Even got a free coupon out of it!" Sylvia announced, laying down the strip down for the barkeep to collect.

Peepers gave another sigh, turning back to his drink taking a nice long sip. "Glad you're enjoying our hospitality. Don't know why we even bother locking the doors anymore." Peepers muttered bitterly.

The smug grin on Sylvia's face began to fall. Normally she loved beating up the little pipsqueak. But doing it with the basic facts rather than her fists was hardly as satisfying. "Hey, we didn't ask to be captured. Not the most pleasant place to wake up." She retorted.

Peepers rolled his eye. "You're talking to the wrong guy. If it were up to me, you and Wander would be deleted from the ship's database. You're both much more trouble than you're worth. Lord Hater could have conquered the galaxy by now if he could just learn to turn a blind eye!" He declared. He wasn't upset as much over another plan foiled before it was written up. It was more that he knew the heights that Hater could have achieved by now. He saw for himself how great Lord Hater was… but how was the rest of the galaxy supposed to see that when he kept chasing Wander around and looking like a fool?

Sylvia gave a shrug. "Barkeep- Bring me a Fizzy Gargle Blaster!" Sylvia decided on. This could turn out to be troublesome conversation. She knew Wander constantly bothered Hater because he believed there was some good deep down in him. Whether or not he interfered with Hater's plans of galactic conquest probably didn't occur to him. But Sylvia was happy to be on board with it if it meant stopping a creep like Hater bully planets into submission.

"So, Hater doesn't conquer the galaxy. Big deal." Sylvia remarked offhandedly.

"Big deal?! Of course it's a big deal! Lord Hater is the greatest in the galaxy! And everyone in the galaxy should know it!" Peepers was quick to counter as he jumped on top of said surface with his mug extended high in the air. This only earned him a glare from Gene. Peepers chuckled nervously and hopped back on top of the bar stools- although this time picking the one beside Sylvia.

But he knew who he was talking to. As if bull headed Sylvia could understand. "Of course, you don't get it. I bet you've never needed to look up to someone when you're strong enough to knock down an armada with a single punch. You've probably never known what it's like to be weak." Peepers remarked bitterly as he recalled being on the receiving end of plenty of those punches.

"You don't know what it's like to think the world of a person… To know that even if they're a bit rough around the edges, that they have the kind of strength that you could only dream of! Strong enough to bring an empire to its knees! To destroy a fleet of star-destroyers with the flick of their finger! That next to them… well, you don't really look like much of anything next to them. But man does it feel good to stand beside them! And the least you could do for them is let the rest of the galaxy see what you see in them!" Peepers exclaimed. Just talking about Hater when he was at his best always seemed to pep Peepers up. Even if he knew he was practically talking to a brick wall.

Sylvia took a sip of the bubbling drink placed in front of her considering Peeper's perspective for a moment. The fact that Hater was a complete idiot aside, she wasn't completely alien to the idea of looking up to someone. Peepers just seemed to be admiring a person for all the wrong reasons.

"Strength doesn't always come from packing a punch- and this is coming from someone who's good buddies with the haymaker and the duchess!" Sylvia exclaimed clenching her fists with pride.

"Nah, just about anyone in the galaxy can hit the gym, find some super weapon, or magically zap themselves into some kind of all-powerful being. But you know what's really difficult to do? Get that same armada to stand down with just a few kind words. Convince a person that was just about to blow you up into sharing a friendly meal with you. To be able to forgive someone that's done terrible things- who frankly doesn't deserve the time of day, let alone all the attention they're getting-… and then to call them friend at the end of it all. That kind of power? I'd say that's certainly something worth looking up to." Sylvia admitted with a smile. To face someone that could be that big in the face of a world so cruel… it really made you take a good hard look at yourself as well.

"So don't tell me I don't know what it's like to feel low in the presence of someone so strong. But rather than getting down on myself for what I'm not, I've learned to try and be stronger. Where it really counts. And man, does it take a heck of a lot of perseverance and patience. But hey, for them you want to be stronger." Sylvia claimed as she held her head proud.

Peepers was somewhat confused as to the kind of 'strength' Sylvia was describing. While she wasn't exactly the planet conquering type, the Zbornak certainly had the ability to do so if she wanted to. Yet here she was claiming that the kind of strength someone like Wander had was much more valuable. He took a long sip of the drink in front of him, trying to contemplate where that left him.

But Sylvia could recognize that look of self-pity in his eye. "And don't think too little of your own strength either. Everyone on this ship knows Hater wouldn't be half the villain he is today without you on board. Everyone always argues over brains or brawn, but man do the two of them work well together! And you're certainly the brains behind the skull ship. So chin up Peepers! Maybe you won't be bringing down any galactic alliance today. But you're still a powerful force to be reckoned with." Sylvia admitted. Swinging her tail around to the side, she gave the commander a friendly pat on the shoulder. She'd been where he was a few times herself. Sometimes, you just needed someone to see that you were great for once as well.

Peepers looked up to face the Zbornak in the eyes. Even if they were enemies, that didn't mean they didn't have respect for one another. Something Lord Hater had never given him. "Thanks… I really needed to hear that." He admitted.

A loud buzzing from one of the monitors beside the wall of alcoholic beverages rang out, and displayed an angry skull with a barrage of lightning bolts. Multiple Watchdogs in the bar looked up for a moment, rolled their eye, and then resumed their pool games, conversations, and friendly drinking. Sylvia gave out a chuckle.

"Well, I guess that's my cue!" Sylvia called out as she cracked her knuckles and hopped off her barstool. Placing a couple of bills on the counter to pay for the drinks, she began to strut toward the exit.

Peepers glanced down at his mug, and then back at the blinking monitors. Even if Lord Hater was bound to fail in capturing Wander, he was still second in command! Even in the most of ridiculous of moments, this is where he was needed most! "Oh yeah? Well I'm coming too!" He declared as he followed Sylvia's lead. He knew he'd probably earn himself a couple of fists to the retina and get tossed aside like a ragdoll by the person he just shared a drink with, but sometimes it hurt to stand by those most important to you.

Sylvia smirked at the eyeball catching up behind her. She wouldn't have it any other way. She laid her tail flat on the ground and dropped down to all fours. "Need a ride?"


End file.
